Insomnia again rearing its ugly head | ADHD Information
Ever try meltonin? It is sleep hormone. Works great for me.question to the group -
I have always had trouble with occasional bouts of insomnia. Longest one lasted from about age 13 to 19. It usually is where I just simply cannot lay down and get a solid 7 to 8 hours sleep until I am exhausted. Some days I would be up and fuzzily get by in life for a couple of days. Coffee did some good for a while but after 32 hours it tends to lose it's usefulness.
When I first went on dexedrine I was "miraculously" cured of insomnia. For over a year I'd work hard, stay up normally and hit the pillow and get a great 6 to 8 hours of sleep. Even shift changes would only give me maybe one or two days of sleeplessness until I adjusted.
Now it seems back with a vengence. I have had a few days now where I have to fight just to get to where I get a 3 or 4 hour sleep if I must be at work. This day shift on rotation has been very tough as I must be alert with my job. I have managed but have to fight to not up my dexedrine in order to maintain. I won't abuse my meds but the urge to get an additional cheat out of it is certainly there.
Oh - damn this is long - sorry!
Ok my question. Has anyone taken the new sleeping meds that claim to have less likelihood of dependence like ambien or orexin?
I would like to hear about other ADHDers getting help with their occasional insomnia and whether or not it helps to get you into a regular schedule and then you can go off. Also the cost in Canada.
I may go to my MD about it but wanted to hear personal stories about what works.
[QUOTE=ADHDinsane]I use marijuana to cure insomnia. On those nights that the mind is racing, and all the thoughts keep you awake, all that turns into pleasant daydreams, and soon sleep after smoking.[/QUOTE]
Must be nice. Okay, I admit it. I'm envious.
[QUOTE=Angela H]Vitamin C or anything acidic (orange juice or grapefruit juice) is supposed to stop the action of a stimulant. I was skeptical at first, but tried it anyway....and believe it or not, it works. I take 1000 mg of Vit C about an hour before I go to bed and I can actually feel the action of my Adderall stop dead in it's tracks.[/QUOTE]
Yep on that vitaminC-thing. That's why you're not supposed to have your morning OJ when you take your meds. No more Odwalla Tangerine Juice for me . . . (And that's also why some
people use Zantac to potentiate the effects of their stimulant ADHD meds 3O" prior to their dosage.)
But I didn't catch that glen's meds were what was keeping him aroused. Well, awake. You know what I mean.
Must have missed it--I ran out of Zantac.
Glen~
It's very strange how this insomnia thing works. But when it's on....it's on!
I've tried numerous things, but one is very interesting. I read this on a forum (may have been this one) about a year ago. It's Vitamin C. Supposedly Vitamin C or anything acidic (orange juice or grapefruit juice) is supposed to stop the action of a stimulant. I was skeptical at first, but tried it anyway....and believe it or not, it works. I take 1000 mg of Vit C about an hour before I go to bed and I can actually feel the action of my Adderall stop dead in it's tracks.
One other thing (mentioned above) is Seroquel. It is a mood-stabilizer, but my doc said that taken in tiny doses (25 mg....it goes up to 200) is not strong enough to truly treat bi-polar disorder, but rather is used a sleep aid. It works and also has an anti-depressant quality. I've also tried Ambien and Lunesta and they both work well. I prefer Ambien over Lunesta and it's cool, too cuz you get atleast 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep and wake up well rested with no sleep hangover or grogginess. Ambien also has a time-released formula called Ambien CR which is for people who don't stay asleep all night without waking. Haven't tried that one, but hear it's pretty good.
Anyway, hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
[QUOTE=terrie][QUOTE=ADHDinsane]I use marijuana to cure insomnia. On those nights that the mind is racing, and all the thoughts keep you awake, all that turns into pleasant daydreams, and soon sleep after smoking.[/QUOTE]
<FONT face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color=#cc99ff size=3>Must be nice. Okay, I admit it. I'm envious.
[/QUOTE]
It isn't the meds (to my knowledge) that is causing the grief. As a matter of fact the first couple of months I was on dexedrine I found that amazingly the meds helped me sleep. I would simply close my eyes when I hit the pillow and go right out.
It seems to be the shift changes are hitting me again. I've tried to have a life beyond work (crazy me) and my sleep pattern is totally messed up.
As for marijuana - no thanks. I never found it relaxing - unless you find dizzy spells, vomiting and stupor condusive for sleep. I sure didn't.
Yay. I was right about something. I love that. I concur about the pot. Much as I love to be taken out of my pregnant head every so oft', that perfection I simply require takes one hell of a lot longer to achieve.
I must have skipped right over the dexadrine(sp?) part--I didn't know you were on it. I saw my psych last night & he proposed it as an alternative to my Adderall if it's indeed causing my highly-enticing meth-addict skin lesions. I got the impression that Dex is like the strongest thing out there from him (& I know everything & nothing is About Me), but care to opine whilst lying awake with your eyeballs popping out?
[QUOTE=GlenW]It seems to be the shift changes are hitting me again. I've tried to have a life beyond work (crazy me)[/QUOTE]
(Oh yeah, I forgot:) What the hell were you thinking?
On those nights that the mind is racing, and all the thoughts keep you awake, all that turns into pleasant daydreams, and soon sleep after smoking.
The only time I had insomnia was coming off of Oxycontin after a hip replacement (yes, I'm an old lady).
In my obsessive quest for all things Just So/Right, I'm never in bed until 3 or 4am & having to get up w/the twins before work @ 6:3Oam, I am spent enough / beat so I'm actually able to sleep without watching tv (miraculous for me, but not helping you). I seriously doubt you're looking to exhaust yourself in order to crash on a nightly basis. A personal favorite from the good ole Cocaine Days was Tylenol PM, because only that specific brand I've found NEVER gives you the sleeping pill hangover, which is like not fair if you didn't even have fun the night before in the first place. Ambien is cool, too, but I always wake up four hours later like clockwork. Buona fortuna, bello.
GlenAdvil PM works for me. Although sometimes I feel overly groggy the next day. I prefer that since it's an OTC and avoid another prescription med.
MaxDad
My sleeping issues have vastly improved since the last time - don't know if it is the right dose of meds or what???
The issue I have now is not wanting to get up in the morning!!!!! I had to move the alarm clock across the room so I get up and turn it off or one of the kids comes in and wakes me up!!!!
Once I am up and out of bed though - it is full on hyper mode!!!!
[QUOTE=Maxdad]GlenAdvil PM works for me. Although sometimes I feel overly groggy the next day. I prefer that since it's an OTC and avoid another prescription med.MaxDad[/QUOTE]
maxDaddy: I'm tellin' ya': Tylenol-PM will give you no morning after ickiness--other OTCs will. And I'm a chronic endorser of Advil for anything else.
[QUOTE=LCdc]...one of the kids comes in and wakes me up![/QUOTE]
Kids are SO the best alarm clocks! Nothing else can get me up in a happier mood. (And I only get about 2 hrs of sleep each morning, from like 4-6am). Unless they're screaming @ each other at the top of their lungs (that's not quite as joyous a reception, but it's still effective. And that's what counts, right?).
[QUOTE=Maxdad]GlenAdvil PM works for me. Although sometimes I feel overly groggy the next day. I prefer that since it's an OTC and avoid another prescription med.MaxDad[/QUOTE]
maxDaddy: I'm tellin' ya'--Tylenol PM will give you no ickiness morning after--all the others will. And I 'm a chronic endorser of Advil for anything else.
Terrie
Cool! I'm definitly gonna try it.
MaxDaddy
I guarantee!
I mean, what's the point in going to sleep if you're just gonna feel like crap the next morning?! I mean, you might as well just stay up all night, right?
Choosy Moms use the world as their personal Focus Group
(Take it from the Self-Spoiled)
I've had bouts of insomnia. I use either alcohol (I know, bad and it doesn't help that much) or better yet, melatonin. I'm going to go take one now.
Glen--I don't have ADD, as you know, but I do have other illnesses that cause severe insomnia. I have tried many types of sleeping pills, and for me, one of the older ones called Halcion does the trick. I have to take it every night at the same time, and go to bed at the same time. Sometimes I have to take a second dose but it generally works. Ambien and the others didn't do squat for me. My ADD daughter has tried Lunesta and Elavil with slight help. Good luck, I know how much it sucks!I like the way you spelled it--like Melt-on-in (to bed).Hey glen.
Ive been through lots of insomnia meds, and can give you my own personal experiences, but different people have different reactions..
Ambien: worked somewhat, but the doctor said it's not good for long term constant use.
Ativan: it's really an antianxiety med, but it supposedly puts ppl to sleep. didn't work for me.
Remeron: it worked for a while, and then stopped working. It is also an antidepressant, so if you are depressed, it's got a bonus. It was prescribed to me as an insomnia med, and i did not notice any antidepressant effects. It makes ppl gain weight, so if you have a weight problem, you might not want it. It really helps with sleep , and you can take as needed.
Seroquel: consistently helps me sleep. Can take as needed. Completely knocks me out. Within a half hour of taking it, i dont trust myself to stand up.
hope that's helpful?
but really, if you only sometimes have insomnia, seroquel might be kind of too serious.